Christmas Lights
by Ad Meliora
Summary: She left him on Christmas Eve. And here he was trudging along Oxford Street, alone on Christmas Day. "He will do anything, just for her to be by his side once again." One-Shot   DHr   R&R


A/n: I was doing this little Challenge where you basically write a fic for your favourite pairing based on the song you were listening to at the moment, and complete it by the time the song ends. Which I did. Kinda. If you count putting the song on replay as "finishing with the time limit". But oh well, enough of my blabbing and here's the fic (:

Based on the song **"Christmas Lights" by Coldplay**. Yeah, it's the middle of July so it's pretty strange but you can always read it again on Christmas Day (:

And as usual, I don't own the song or Harry Potter.

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><p>Christmas. 25th December. Probably the most joyous occasion in the entire month, the entire year even. Joyous occasion my arse, he thought, glaring at all those happy couples and family around him.<p>

It was one of those days for him. One of those days where you seem to be the only person in the entire world, universe, hell maybe even in all those planes and sub-sub planes, who is down. And you aren't sure why but you want to go around ruining people's joy because you can't stand all this buzz and happiness going around you. It's as they say, misery loves company. Behind every foul mood, there's a reason and here's his: They fought again. Yesterday. On Christmas Eve. Of All days.

"_Who is she! Who is that blonde Barbie hanging off your arm in that photograph in the Daily Prophet?" She shrilled, her hair a fiery mess and her eyes, an erupting volcano. _

"_No one! I'm serious! She just appeared out of nowhere and clung on to my arm just when the photographer was taking the photograph. I swear, she's nobody!" He defended, afraid of the well known temper his fiancée was capable off. No, he isn't pussy-whipped. You'd be afraid too once you have lived through several of Hermione Granger's angry moments. She was like a bull, ready to charge and attack at the first sign of a red cloth. Not one to be messed with, that you can be sure of. _

_He could understand her reaction – She was insecure. Even after the many I love Yous he told her, she had this strange notion that she was not enough for him. Her brain was another factor. It worked and processed too fast for her own good, leading to her over-thinking things and imagining irrational scenarios. _

_He understood, but that didn't mean it didn't frustrate him. God, he wanted to tear his hair out, start kissing her senseless with all the love he felt for her and tell her to stop being so darn insecure. _

_And that stupid argument went on and on, her accusing, him defending until—_

"_Draco Malfoy. Stop lying to me. You know I hate it when you do that. If you need to say something, say it to my face damn it. And here I thought... I thought we were more than just a common relationship. I, I, I well-" She broke down into a sobering mess, tears streaming down her face like an endless waterfall. "I can't… I can't stay here tonight. I'll be at the Weasleys." And with that, she apparated, vanished with a pop, leaving him standing stunned, his arm reaching out trying to get her to come back, and failing. _

He trudged along Oxford Street, looking at all the trees, shimmering Christmas lights hanging from them. He remembered being so amazed by those lights. He was impressed when he first saw them all those years ago when she brought him here on the first Christmas they shared together. He was reluctant at first. It was Muggle London. A Malfoy in Muggle London. You'd be much better off waiting for the sky to fall. But she dragged him there anyway and from then on, he was trapped, those lights holding him within their brilliance. Those lights were as impressive as those in Hogwarts during their Christmas fest. But those lights in Hogwarts were hung up with the help of magic. These lights, maybe even more magnificent than those at Hogwarts, were hung up by mere Muggles, people with not a single drop of magical blood flowing through their bodies. Well, who would have believed that?

Ugh, he was thinking of her again. She was such a huge part of his life that there was hardly a single happy memory without her in it. It was his fault partially, for coming to Oxford Street. Ever since that first Christmas, they would come to Oxford Street each year on the 25th of December. It was a tradition for them, she insisted. Tradition: another funny word she used to represent their yearly visits to Oxford Street. They'd walk down the street and pretend that just for a night, the street belonged to them. That night, they would revel in the other's presence. That night, not even the harsh bitter winter air could cool the happiness and love they felt. They were in their own perfect bubble, just him and her. Perfect.

He walked into a bar, one of those bars that never close even during Christmas. There were some people in the bar. They were all here for the same reasons: Lonely. Bitter. Sad. Dumped. Everyone was hiding out in this bar, a shelter from the happiness that was radiating from every corner of the city. If he bothered asking around, there would probably even be someone here whose fiancée walked out on him the day before.

"A vodka please," he said, sliding into one of those seats at the counter. Another muggle thing he loved: Vodka. He'd never thought he would ever encounter something that's better than Firewhiskey till he tried vodka. But well then again, he went against all odds and fell in love with a muggle-born.

"Coming right up." The barman replied. He pitied all these patrons of his bar. They all had something in common. They were all alone tonight. It was a cruel juxtaposition. They were here by themselves, drowning themselves in the "devil's drink" while the rest of the city was surrounded by their loved ones, eating delicious Christmas feasts prepared with love. "Here you go" he said as he placed the vodka in front of Draco with a little coaster that had a huge smiley face on it. Oh the irony.

Draco downed the vodka on the first go, trying to banish the depressed thoughts from his brain. He can completely understand why alcoholics exist. They couldn't count on anyone to cheer them up, to save them from this dark hole of depression and sadness. It was as if they had their own personal dementors trailing after them, sucking up any happy thought as soon as it comes into their mind. And somehow alcohol acted as some kind of patronus charm, providing a shield between them and their thoughts, allowing them to - even in their drunken stupor - be happy for a moment.

He drank and drank, ordering a shot after the other but the thoughts never went away. By now he was a hopeless drunk, muttering words to himself and occasionally to the barman when he paid attention to this pale blond young man.

"I've always loved her, and I always will. How can she think otherwise?" he slurred, vodka dumping his normally perfect articulation into the gutters. "How can she not know that she is my life? How could she leave, taking my heart with her?"

Without her by his side, it didn't really feel like Christmas at all. After all, the only time he understood the meaning and purpose of Christmas was when she was with him. Those pathetic parents of him never bothered celebrating Christmas, deeming it as a pointless activity for the inferior. They were Mafoys, Lucius once said. Christmas isn't worth the time or money. Just a pointless activity. A terrible way to spend a day.

Finally when he could drink no more, he stumbled out of the bar. This time, even the vodka couldn't banish those thoughts from his mind. It was as if he had tiny little messenger birds flying all over his mind, reminding every single part of his mind what happened last night, reminding him of how she left him without even a single goodbye.

He took one step, and fell, tripping over his own two feet. He was completely wasted now. Picking himself up, he glanced up. Amidst his drunken haze, he saw those mesmerizing Christmas Lights. He was once again reminded of her. And he started praying to whatever almighty powers there are up there, praying that she'll come back to him. He will do anything, just for her to be by his side once again.

_**Those Christmas lights**__**  
><strong>__**Light up the street**__**  
><strong>__**Maybe they'll bring her back to me**__**  
><strong>__**Then all my troubles will be gone**__**  
><strong>__**Oh, Christmas lights, keep shining on**_


End file.
